Metadata

Title: TRA Sustainable Futures: Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Futures
Category: undergraduate
UUID: 886f52b59ff14878811ea69deec285b2

Source URL: https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/research-and-teaching/research-profile/transdisciplin...
Parent URL: https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/research-and-teaching/research-profile
Crawl Time: 2026-03-24T03:59:29+00:00

TRA Sustainable Futures: Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Futures

Source: https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/research-and-teaching/research-profile/transdisciplinary-research-areas/tra-6-sustainable-futures Parent: https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/research-and-teaching/research-profile

Sustainability means using resources in a way that the needs of today are met without neglecting or even disregarding the needs of future generations. This raises questions in a wide range of areas: poverty, hunger, food security, demographic change, health, protection of the environment, climate change and the responsible use of resources pose a global challenge for us all. To achieve progress with regards to the UN Sustainable Development Goals1, our researchers apply an interdisciplinary approach focused on solutions combined with basic research, actively engage in global networks and collaborate with Bonn-based UN organizations.

Research

Research profile, topics and projects from our members

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About us

Organisation of the TRA, network, team

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Offers

TRA calls and grants as well as events

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Transfer & Outreach

Innovative applications, science communication and the press review

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News from the TRA

Notifications

Bonn’s Domestic Service Robots Defend Their Title6

The University of Bonn´s NimbRo team convincingly defended its @Home League championship title at the RoboCup German Open, finishing well ahead of the runner-up. From March 10 to 14, the service robots demonstrated their capabilities in everyday environments. They understood complex voice commands, navigated safely through a simulated apartment and an unfamiliar restaurant, delivered orders, and removed laundry from the washing machine.

Mar 16, 2026 6

Researchers develop a ChatGPT for Portuguese7

Large language models, such as ChatGPT, perform significantly less well in Portuguese than in English despite both languages being spoken worldwide. This gap has now been closed with "GigaVerbo". The team led by Dr. Nicholas Kluge Corrêa from the Center for Science and Thought at the University of Bonn is now presenting the project in the journal "Patterns". The researchers were among the first to utilize the new "Marvin" supercomputer at the University of Bonn. Nicholas Kluge Corrêa and his colleague Aniket Sen are both members of the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Sustainable Futures" at the University of Bonn.

Mar 06, 2026 7

Rainforest conservation is bad for the economy!?8

Violence, organized crime, and health problems: these issues do not immediately spring to mind when one thinks of the Brazilian rainforest. Clearing trees there not only releases stored carbon dioxide and decimates biodiversity. There are many different effects associated with rainforest destruction: Gustavo Magalhães de Oliveira and Yannic Damm from the Institute for Food and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn have investigated violence and respiratory diseases as consequences of deforestation. In the new episode of the Hypothesis podcast, the scientists discuss the thesis “Rainforest protection is bad for the economy” with host Denis Nasser.

Feb 05, 2026 8

Two days of oatmeal reduce cholesterol level9

A short-term oat-based diet appears to be surprisingly effective at reducing the cholesterol level. This is indicated by a trial by the University of Bonn, which has now been published in the journal Nature Communications. The participants suffered from a metabolic syndrome – a combination of high body weight, high blood pressure, and elevated blood glucose and blood lipid levels. They consumed a calorie-reduced diet, consisting almost exclusively of oatmeal, for two days. Their cholesterol levels then improved significantly compared to a control group. Even after six weeks, this effect remained stable. The diet apparently influenced the composition of microorganisms in the gut. The metabolic products, produced by the microbiome, appear to contribute significantly to the positive effects of oats.

Jan 23, 2026 9

More press releases10

Highlights and Announcement

[### News

Dates, announcements, etc.

Projects and project ideas with financial support from TRA Sustainable Futures

Get Involved in the TRA

Become a member of TRA Sustainable Futures!

As TRA member, you will have access to TRA funding and opportunities for networking beyond the borders of your own discipline.

Membership Application13

Members

The TRA Sustainable Futures currently has more than 220 members whose research is focused on the four priority areas of TRA Sustainable Futures.

Members Directory14

Meet our Researchers

Inter- and transdisciplinary research actively pursued at the University of Bonn and is promoted across faculty boundaries. The faces of TRA Sustainable Futures are our Hertz-Chair, our Argelander-Professor and the numerous dedicated scientists.

Transdisciplinary Research on Climate Change and Health

Prof. Dr. Ina Danquah

Hertz-Chair "Innovation for Planetary Health"\ Research professorship in the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Sustainable Futures" of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.

Collective Action for Sustainable Development

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Wolfram Barfuss

Argelander-Professorship "Integrated System Modelling for Sustainability Transitions" \ Research professorship in the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Sustainable Futures" of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.

Contact

Hanna Zimmermann

zimmermann@uni-bonn.de

tra6@uni-bonn.de

+49 228 73 54469

TRA Manager | Strategic Development and Quality Assurance Unit

Dechenstraße 3-11

53115 Bonn

Further information

The TRAs

In the TRAs top researchers work together across faculty boundaries on key academic, scientific, technological and societal issues relevant to our future.

Learn more17

Excellence Strategy

We want to create an ideal environment for outstanding researchers that fosters creative scientific work and promote talented researchers at all stages of their careers.

Learn more181919

Cluster of Excellence

PhenoRob, the only Cluster of Excellence in Germany in agricultural sciences, brings together researchers to investigate how technology can enable sustainable crop production.

Learn more20